Darkness
by AlisonLydon
Summary: There is only one person who could save Drake Parker. Please read and review.
1. Darkness Came Without a Sound

**Darkeness**

**A Drake & Josh fan-fic created for the older fan (ages 17-adult)**

**A short story by Alison Lydon**

**Told in both the first and third person formats.**

**Lead characters:**

**Drake Parker & Josh Nichols**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. No copyright infringement is **

**intended.**

**Chapter 1**

**Darkness Came Without a Sound**

**April **

"**DADDY! I WANT MY DADDY!"**

The little three year old with the sandy brown hair and the jewel toned green eyes sat on the

linoleum floor in her paternal Grandparents house in San Diego.

She wore a little yellow dress with a peter pan collar and matching yellow Mary Jane's.

She tried her damnedest NOT to cry. But even at that age the toddler had trouble repressing it.

They couldn't make her feel better with milk and cookies, make her care about the Easter Bunny,

or tell the "everything is going to be all right" lie because she KNEW not one of the grown-ups

believed it.

She put her tiny hands over her face as if she were ashamed doing the act of crying.

Her Uncle with the black wavy hair scooped her up off the floor and carried her into the living

room so they could have a private moment with each other.

They left everyone else in the room with broken hearts.

"Sweetie," He positioned her on his lap while trying to grab some Kleenex from the square pink

box off the end table with his other hand, "Do you know how much I love you?"

He wasn't just the Uncle in her life.

Josh was also her Godfather. It made him feel a sense of pride because he didn't have any children

of his own yet.

He tried not to think about that anymore.

All of his thoughts seemed to be so selfish ever since the accident.

She didn't feel like answering what felt like another fib from yet one more

grown-up who loved her.

She put her head on his shoulder and put her thumb in her mouth.

All she wanted was her Daddy.

How come he didn't love her anymore?

**3 Months ago**

"I can't believe you." Josh Nichols said to his brother Drake Parker while they were eating lunch in

the food court at the Galleria.

Josh was taking an extended lunch from his shift as a reporter for the San Diego Union-Tribune

and Drake was in the middle of making his second CD sampler.

Once a month no matter how busy they were they always tried to get together for lunch.

"What?" Drake asked smiling as he took a French fry and dipped it in the paper ketchup cup he

was using before he finished all of his French fries.

"You're still the same brother stealing my fries thinking I don't notice, but how did you miss that

flight attendant who walked by?"

"Why is this so hard for you to believe? I love Sharon."

Sharon was currently a music teacher in the San Fernando Valley. When his manager suggested

that he brush up on his skills, his rushed to the surface anger of his manager clearly not recognizing

that he didn't need to brush up on anything was replaced with the typical lust for another pretty

female in pretty skirt ensemble.

But the more lessons he took—the more he enjoyed spending time with her.

The dates with his sluts of the month that he cancelled from his cell phone in the bathroom to make

room for more important things like going out for coffee and conversation with Sharon afterwards.

How he paid attention to every detail because he wanted to.

Such as her long and straight blonde hair that had more brown hues than blonde tones.

Her green eyes that glistened like the contents of a pirate's found treasure chest.

How the lust turned to love and when he uttered the line that "holding each other is more than fine"

that was when Drake Parker knew he was in love with Sharon Kelly.

"No. I didn't mean anything by it, bro. I guess I'm jaded since Mindy and I are now in the off again

phase of our on and off again relationship."

"Take that as a sign that you were meant to move on. You deserve true love, Josh. And besides

Nina needs a playmate."

"Somehow I would think that'd be your and Sharon's department. And stop taking all my fries!"

"Sor-ry."

"I didn't mean to yell."

"I know."

Drake's cell phone rang. And before he even answered when Josh saw the most genuine smile

grace his brother's face he knew it was his sister-in-law.

"Hey, honey," Drake looked at his watch, "Okay. She'll love seeing Mom and Dad."

They always had extra money and presents for their only grandbaby ever since she was born.

Yet, when he, Josh, and Megan wanted something other than the necessities they were always

broke.

"Love you too. I'll see you when you get back. Kiss." And Drake wasn't ashamed to make the

kissing noise into the phone as he hung up.

"So the streak is intact?"

Even though Sharon worked long hours and Drake was a musician who tried to keep his gigs all on

the local level. If he couldn't take a flight out and be back before bedtime he didn't want to take

the offer. Much to the chagrin of his frustrated band mates who wanted to see the world and have

all of

the clichéd trappings of being in a rock band.

The drugs, the booze, and the cheap women. Even before they were married they made a vow to

never spend a single night apart. The nurses were amazed three years ago on how this dedicated

father stayed past the assigned visiting hours and slept in an uncomfortable chair while holding his

sleeping wife's hand after the baby was born.

"Of course."

Drake Parker's life was perfect and nothing was going to ever change that.

**Back**

Nina Parker only pretended to be asleep in Aunt Megan's bed and as soon as Uncle Josh went

back downstairs she quietly got up. Megan was in Europe "finding herself".

She just boarded the 747 to go back to Paris not twenty-four hours ago.

The little girl sat at the desk and started opening drawers. She needed to find some blank paper

and markers.

**Kitchen**

Josh held the red and white can of chicken noodle soup in his hand. He knew this wasn't going to

be eaten. But still he had to make the effort, just in case.

"Here's the can opener." Audrey said to Josh as she handed him the white handheld model.

"Thanks, Mom. Where did Dad go?"

"To the store." She tiredly replied

"I don't think he'll eat _anything._"

The only thing he had was half a cup of lukewarm tea and an even smaller piece of bagel that he

promptly threw up before going back to bed.

"If this keeps up we might have to call the doctor…." She tried to hold back the tears even though

her Granddaughter was safely sleeping upstairs.

Josh let the can drop into the bowl as he went to be yet another comforting rock, this time for his

mother.

"He's going to come through this, you'll see….." Josh hugged his mother trying to keep his own

tears at bay.

Drake had to be able to come through this.

But the trouble was Josh Nichols wasn't sure that he believed it.

**Upstairs & Outside**

The heart was bumpy, big, and pink. The 'I Luv U' was written in turquoise crayon. It was

because the young subconscious remembered the color of one of Mommy's skirts in a recessed

memory.

The 'To Daddy' and 'Nina' were written in orange.

The paper was standard printer issue that Megan had left over. It was shoved in her bottom desk

drawer with some crayons she needed for an alternative art project during her senior year.

She took her creation off the desk and headed in the direction of the guestroom.

Josh felt like he was in the middle of a movie with no resolution when he saw his brother emerge.

Drake's hair was unkempt and he hadn't taken a bath in days. The only reason why he was in his

pajamas, a grey t-shirt and blue checkered sleeping pants, was because Audrey tended to him. He

was starting to grow a beard. But the most telling change was that his will to live

was zapped out of system and he wanted to be that hollow shell left alone until it was his turn to go.

"Daddy!" Nina held out her drawing.

"Get the fuck out of my sight. You make sick. I _hate_ you."

Drake harshly took the drawing out of her hands, ripped the paper in four pieces, and letting them

fall on the floor.

He held onto the walls as if he were blind to get to the bathroom.

Every word was uttered slowly and softly, but he might as well have hit her and screamed it from

the rooftops.

Just a few months ago she was "The Sweetest Most Bestest Daughter Ever".

The small girl just stood there emotionless as if she were frozen to the spot.

"WHY DOES DADDY HATE ME?"

She screamed as Audrey was coming up the stairs and Josh tried to find a shelf to put the food tray

on as Nina ran past them and down the stairs.

Nina made it out of the house through the front door and she would

have almost got hit by a sky blue Chevy Malibu if it weren't for her Grandfather being at the right

place at the right time.

"Nina!" Was all that Walter could say as he held her; the two grocery bags at his feet.

The eggs might have been broken. But that didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was to stop

all this pain.

"Daddy hates me."

"Oh sweetie, your father doesn't hate you…."

At this time Audrey and Josh were waiting in the doorway watching all of this unfold.

"Yes, he does! He told me so!" She held onto her Grandfather tight, thumb back in her mouth, and

the tears flowing out of her eyes.

Her Daddy hated her.

**Upstairs**

That was it!

How dare he make his own little girl cry.

Josh walked up the stairs and saw Drake on his hands and knees with a roll of scotch tape

mending Nina's gift to him.

When he was done he kissed it.

Drake gently folded the patched up paper and put it in his robe pocket.

Josh pretended to be invisible and was too afraid to breathe as he watched Drake put his hand in

the now cold soup and fished out two noodles before going back to throw himself on the bed in the

guestroom.

"You didn't lose the will to live, Drake," Josh said to empty air, "And as God is my witness, we

are going to bring you back. We are going to bring you back, brother."

For the sake of his niece and Goddaughter Josh Nichols had to believe his words.

Everything just had to be okay.

For Nina's sake.

For all their sakes.


	2. Cookies

**Chapter 2**

**Cookies**

**Two days later**

**Grocery Store**

The polite three year old sat expressionless in the shopping cart. She would speak to her

Grandmother when spoken to, but she was in no mood to talk

otherwise.

When some co-worker of Audrey's violated her private zone when she

tried to pinch her cheeks Nina was fighting every tiny urge to snap. She just concentrated on how

many farm animals were on her playful caramel colored sweater.

She counted six cows, but she knew there were others on the back. She was relieved when her

Grandmother's annoying friend left.

"Sweetie, why don't you pick out a box of your favorite cookies?" Audrey put the shopping cart

within Nina's reach.

"No, thank you."

Audrey picked up the standard kid happy package of Oreos and when it was sadly noted that Nina

didn't want to hold the cookies. Audrey put them in the bottom of the cart with the rest of the

groceries.

(_Daddy……)_

**15 minutes later**

Audrey nervously laughed when the alarm went off as she pushed the cart through the 'exit' door.

"This never happened before." She's been shopping at Ralph's for decades.

Nina wanted to be invisible. They were going to find it and make a BIG deal about it.

"Did your Granddaughter hide anything in her pockets?" asked the gum chewing, part time, sixteen

year old female

"Sweetie, what do you have there?"

It was a BIG oatmeal cookie with raisins. The girl let out a groan when her Grandmother took it

away.

"You'll get your cookie back, Sweetie. They just have to scan it so I can pay for it."

Audrey wasn't going to tell her that "she was old enough to know better", she's been through

enough.

"Do you want to go to McDonald's?" she asked her after she buckled her in the car seat.

Nina was holding onto the cookie for dear life.

"No, thank you."

"You can eat your cookie if you'd like?"

"No."

"All right, dear. You can take your nap when you get home."

The first grandchild of the Parker-Nichols family just nodded.

**Megan's room**

Josh was beginning to think he couldn't do anything for Drake. What Drake would do if Josh

weren't even here?

He could be trying to salvage his relationship with Mindy once again. But other than dealing with

work he couldn't abandon his niece and Goddaughter.

He had to be there for the child. She didn't ask for any of this.

He got her to eat one half of a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich. She drank a few sips

from her Disneyland kiddie sized mug before drifting off.

The girl was adamant that her unwrapped oatmeal cookie stay on the end table so she could see it.

Could toddlers have nervous breakdowns? Because it seemed like this pretty girl was headed for

one.

"Love you," he kissed her on the cheek and covered her with the blanket, "Try and get some rest,

honey."

There was no point checking on Drake when Josh left the room. He would eat as long as the food

was left at his door.

Audrey noticed he was taking a bath every night or actually morning at 4:00, because she found his

dirty pajamas in the hamper.

If he could do all that—why was he ignoring his daughter?

She wanted Drake's love more than anything. Josh almost wanted to hit him with one of Walter's

golf clubs.

When Josh got in the hallway his cellphone rang.

"Hi, Mindy…"

"How's it going?"

She knew everything from reading Sharon's obituary in the paper and calling up Audrey soon after

to see if there was anything she could do.

"Not well."

"How's Nina doing?"

"I feel so bad for her. She wants Drake. No matter what. Good or bad. It would make her feel so

much better to get a hug. She's trying so hard to keep it

together."

"I'll leave my personal feelings about Drake on the shelf….we all deal with grief in different ways

and I remember him loving his daughter so much. Maybe he needs to go to the hospital?"

"I don't know…" Josh headed downstairs. He didn't need Nina to open up the door and hear this

conversation about whether or not her father should be put in a mental rehabilitation clinic.

**Guestroom**

Nina did fall asleep for real as she tried to fake her Uncle Josh out. When she woke up she knew

what she had to do.

This room was so scary with the shades drawn. She had to close the door behind her because she

knew her Grandparents or Uncle would carry her up and

take her out of here as if she were doing something wrong.

_(Daddy, I love you)_

_(Don't you love me anymore?)_

Drake tossed and turned and Nina quietly walked to the other side of the bed.

She noticed that his feet weren't covered so she carefully moved the blanket so he wouldn't be

cold.

_(I miss you)_

She gently took the package containing the BIG cookie out of her sweater pocket and put it on the

end table next to the unplugged lamp.

_(I hope you'll eat the cookie Daddy, so you will get better.)_

She left the room as calmly as she entered it with only one thing in mind to help her Daddy get

better.


End file.
